Flag holding and stretching device.



G. W. BLANK. FLAG HOLDING AND STBETOHING DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILEDIEB.1, 1911.

1,020,396. Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

INVENTOR GEORGE W. BLANK, 0F WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLAG HOLDING AND STRETCHING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 1, 1911.

Patented Mar. 19, 1912. Serial No. 606,056.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BLANK, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at l/Vilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFlag Holding and Stretching Devices, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention is an improvement upon the flag holding and stretchingdevices disclosed in my Patent No. 975,114, granted February 8th, 1910,and my allowed application filed July 8th, 1910, Serial No. 571,004,allowed January 18th, 1911.

Besides having the same objects in view as disclosed in the above patentand application for patent, the purpose of the present invention is tosimplify the construction of the device to that extent as to permit ofits use in connection with various kinds of flags and at a cost thatdoes not necessarily increase the selling price of an ordinary flag.

A further purpose of this invention is to provide a flag holding andstretching device that can be easily made of wire and arranged tosupport a flag at half mast.

I attain the above objects by a mechanical construction that will behereinafter specifically described and then claimed, and reference willnow be had to the drawing, wherein there are illustrated the preferredembodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that thedevices shown in the drawing are susceptible to such changes andmodifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing :Figure 1 is an elevation of a flag-staff or poleprovided with the holding and stretching device, Fig. 2 is an enlargedside elevation of the upper end of the device, Fig. 3 is a plan of thesame, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper end of the device, Fig.5 is a side elevation of the upper end of a modified form of device,Fig. 6 is a plan of the same, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the upperend of the modified form of device, Fig. 8 is a side elevation of afurther modified form of device, Fig. 9 is a plan of the same, and Fig.10 is an elevation of the upper end of still another modification of theinvention.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views.

The reference numeral 1 denotes the base and lower portion of a flagpole or stafi, and hinged or pivotally connected to the up or end of thelower portion thereof is a flhg pole or staff 3, which can be easilylowered upon the roof 4.- of a building, the pole being maintained in avertical position by a pin 5 extending through apertured lugs 6 and 7carried by the lower end of the pole 3 and the upper end of the lowersection 1 respectively. The apertured lugs 6 and 7 and the pin 5constitute means for maintaining the pole located in a vertical positionand any other suitable device can be used for this purpose.

8 and 8 denote pins detachably mounted transversely in the pole 3 at theupper end thereof, the ends of the pins protruding from the pole andthese pins are detachable whereby they can be removed and placed inopenings 9 in the pole for supporting the flag holding and stretchingdevice at half mast.

10 denotes the lower loop end of a vertical rod 11., the loop 10 beingat right angles to the rod 11 whereby it can loosely encircle the pole 3and rest upon the ends of the pin 8 with the vertical rod 11 inparallelism with said pole. The upper end of the rod is bent outwardly,as at 12, downwardly, as at 13 to form a looped member 14, the end ofthe member extending rearwardly over the top of the rod 11 and providedwith a loop 15 adapted to loosely encircle the pole 3 above the pin 8.

16 denotes an arm having the inner end thereof bent to provide an oblongloop 17. The loop 17 is adapted to engage the looped member 14. and holdthe arm 16 at right angles to the rod 11 or at an acute angle thereto,said looped member 14: being pro vided with notches or grooves 18, inone side thereof to receive one side of the loop, as best shown in Fig.4:. The rear end of the loop 17 is adapted to rest upon the upper bentend 12 of the rod 11 under the end 19 of the looped member 14, and thenarrow portion of the loop 17 can be easily sprung into engagement withthe member 14- whereby the side 20 of the loop 17 will engage in one ofthe notches 18, the upper notch supporting the arm at right angles tothe rod 11, and the lower notch supporting the arm 16 at an acute anglerelatively to the rod, such an angle being necessary for pennants.

Connected to the rod 11 by suitable hold fast devices 21 is the verticaledge of a flag 22, and similar hold-fast devices 23 are employed forholding the upper edge of the flag in engagement with the arm 16. Thehold-fast devices 23 are of a conventional formconsisting of clamps thatencircle the rod 11 and the arm 16, the ends of the clamps beingclenched or locked together upon the flag. The clamps form no part ofthis invention and any suitable form of hold-fast devices can beemployed for attaching the flag to the rod and arm.

In Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive there is illustrated a modification of theinvention, wherein the upper end of the rod 11 is bent outwardly, as at24: and bent to form superimposed sockets 25, the end of the rodterminating in a vertical eye 26 and the loop 15. The arm 16 has theinner end thereof provided with an eye 27 adapted to engage in the eye26 with the arm 16 resting in one of the sockets 25, said arm beingsprung into the socket.

Another modification of the invention is shown in Figs. 8 and 9 of thedrawing, wherein the eye 27 of the arm 16 is connected to the loopedmember 14 of the rod 11 by a bolt 28 and a winged thumb-nut 29, and

it is in this modification of the invention that the arm 16 can be setat any desired angle.

In Fig. 10 the pole 3 is provided with a screw eye 30 and the end of thelooped member 14: terminates in a depending pin 31 adapted to engage inthe screw eye 30, the use of the screw eye 30 obviating the necessity ofproviding the pins 8 and 8 and the loops 10 and 15.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have devised simple andeffective means for allowing a flag to swing around a pole withoutbecoming furled or wound thereon, the entire surface of the flag beingdisplayed whereby any insignia or matter upon the flag can be easilyread. It is obvious that the flag pole can be easily lowered when it isdesired to place the flag at half mast or to adjust the arm 16relatively to the rod 11.

What I claim is 1. In a flag holder, a pole, a rod having looped endsmovably mounted upon said pole, a looped member carried by the upper endof said rod and having notches in one side thereof, and an arm having alooped end adjustably connected to said member and adapted to engage insaid notches, and a flag attached to said rod and to said arm.

2. In a flag holder a pole, a rod connected with the pole and bent at apoint above its lower end to provide a loop disposed in a verticalplane, an arm adjustably connected with the loop of said rod, said rodprovided with means for supporting said arm in its adjusted position,and a flag attached to the rod and to said arm.

8. In a flag holder, a pole, a rod adapted to be connected with the poleand having a looped upper end, said loop having notches in one sidethereof, and an arm connected to the upper end of the rod and adapted toengage in said notches, and a flag attached to said rod and said arm.

1. A flag holder comprising a verticallydisposed rod adapted to beconnected to a pole, said rod having its upper portion bent to provide aloop disposed in a vertical plane said loop being free of the pole, anarm connected with the looped upper portion of said rod, a flag attachedto said rod and to;

said arm, and means whereby said arm can" be supported from the loopedend of said rod at various inclinations.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE W. BLANK.

Vitnesses MAX H. SRoLovITz, CHRISTINA T. H001).

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Fatents, Washington, D. G.

